Happy Homemaker Monday

 I finally got a chance to join this again.  The tomatoes were exhausting this year, but we are thankful to have them.

The tomato plants have all been yanked, and are done for the season.  That was a big job.  The yellow squash and the zucchini plants have been yanked.

(that's just the zucchini plants)

The plants were huge this year.  I had not had time to pull the plants earlier, and it appears that the bees cross pollinated the zucchini with the yellow squash plants.  I am still getting some nice yellow squash, but some plants are like in the photo above.  Either way, they are out now.  I'm trying to leave the acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and pie pumpkins in as long as I can. 

We got more work done on "Chicken Castle" or otherwise known as the Hilton Hen House.  We still need to frame in the door (woohoo for a regular walk-in door for me), build the door,  frame in the windows (yay for ventilation on hot summer days), then side it and roof it.  After that we will build the run.  We are far from done, but making progress again.  We reached out help, but they never called us back.

The weekend was cold!  Our nights were in the lower 40's here.  It was a perfect time to dehydrate Goldenrod.  It's been preserved and stored for winter.  Dehydrating may happen a few days this week.  It all depends on the weather.

Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.  It's been a while since I've done this, but like I said, I canned two weeks straight when the paste tomatoes were harvested.

I will link up when she posts.

The weather . . .

Woke up to a chilly 54°F, with high's in the 70's, but will heat up to the 80's mid-week.  

As I look outside my window. . .

It's pitch dark out right now, but I see some schools are delayed due to fog.

Right now I am . . .

Posting this, so I can go do my exercise for the morning.  

Thinking and pondering . . .

We are working on a plan for the garden next year.  We need to get at least one raised bed built for fall garlic (new plan and hope is works).

I have a small ornamental apple tree in the front of the property.  I am thinking I will dig it and move it, so in the spring I can add a plum tree to the homestead in the same location the apple tree was. 

Listening to . . .

Work out music first, then Country music

How I am feeling . . .

Pretty good now that things are slowing down in the canning department here.  I am getting used to my exercise routine, and my husband's health is doing better than ever right now.  We will have actual numbers in about 3 months, so I am hoping for a really good doctor check up for him.

On the breakfast plate . . .

-Einkorn pancakes with blueberries, sausage patties

-next will be crockpot steel cut oats with our apples

On the lunch plate . . .

-chicken salad on a Swedish bread cracker, apple with peanut butter dip (Greek plain yogurt mixed with sugar free all peanut, peanut butter)

On the dinner plate . . .

-Sheet pan chicken sausage dinner with carrots and rutabaga

What I am wearing . . .

Still in jammies, sipping coffee at the moment

On the reading pile . . .

Mostly recipe books.

On the TV . . .

Movies on YouTube lately

On the menu . . .

-Southwest Chicken Quinoa bowls
-Try a new slaw recipe for a side this week
-Try a new broccoli/fruit salad this week or next
-grill burgers, topped, no bun, with one of the above sides

Looking around the house . . .

-I need to fold down a large table I brought inside for tomato season.
-I have yarn on a shelf that needs put back in storage
-I have a bunch of scrap yarn in my bedroom that needs put back in storage
-one kitchen counter is covered with stuff that piled up during busy canning season.  Something always suffers, right?

To-do list . . .

-dishes
-laundry
-sweep and mop all floors
-make a breakfast for the next few days

-mail a check to secure a craft show this coming Christmas Holiday (updates on that later)

For the week:

-can applesauce with our own apples

-can hot pepper jelly if I have enough hot peppers

-boil eggs for snacking, salads, and egg salad

-clean camper, wash down cupboards, clean out things, sweep and mop etc.

-start working on the floor in the upstairs spare bedroom (I want this done before the weather turns too cold), if I can actually remember to put "funnel" on my shopping list and buy one.

-make and freeze meatballs (I use oats in place of bread crumbs)

-clean bathrooms top to bottom - Monday, toilets scrubbed, Tuesday, sinks and mirrors, Wed, dust, sweep and mop floors, wash rugs

-check emails (there I wrote it down, so it better happen ha ha!)

Devotional, verse, thoughts, prayers . . .

In regards to the prayer requests for our friend's daughter (brain bleed), she is off the ventilator, and making some movement, but not talking.  Thank you all!  I will try and get updates here as I get them.

Roasted Rutabaga ~ Goldenrod Paradise

 I have attempted to try this vegetable more than once (back between 2012 and 2015, but could not find it here locally.  Finally, we have found it at one store recently.

I roasted it with olive oil and salt and pepper, to get an idea of the flavor we are working with.  I was told it would taste like a golden potato, by roasting it this way.  It did not, but it was delicious, and creamy in the center. I peeled it, diced it and tossed it in olive oil.  I sprinkled it with salt and pepper both.  I roasted it at 425°F for 40 minutes (stirring half way during roasting time).  

A rutabaga is a cross between cabbage and a turnip.  It is a root vegetable.  Do you grow rutabagas in your garden?  We are considering it, as we have a terrible time finding it in our stores (or any farm stand) in our area.

I have one more to experiment with, and I hope to return to the same store and get a few more.

I did not get any answers about the bee keeper's inquiry on keeping bees on our property.  It is a haven for bees already.  I harvested some goldenrod, and I can tell you we have no shortage of bees.  My husband said, "it sounds like you need to keep bees for honey."  Yeah, sounds grand and all, but I am not ready to add more work to my days around here.  

I do not know any local people, that have a bee keeper's bees on their private property.  I think we are going to refrain from this offer (see yesterday's post).  One we have a ton of bees already, and two I do not want someone we do not know coming to the property to check on the bees whenever they want either.  I don't think it's worth it, just for the exchange of honey (which I buy local already, and we do not use it in large quantities).